Greek Olives: History, Production & Picking the Best Oil
- Olive oil is a key part of Greek history and culture. Cultivation of the olive tree goes back thousands of years and continues to this day.
- In ancient times, olive oil was used for cooking, lamp fuel and religious purposes. Today, it’s largely consumed as part of local cuisine.
- In our latest video blog, olive oil sommelier Dimitra Mathiopoulou instructs Road Scholars on how to pick the best bottle.
The roots of the olive tree are shallow, typically only growing up to two feet into the ground. But in Greek culture, those roots run deep — the cultivation of olive trees goes back at least 4,000 years, making it an integral part of ancient and modern history. It’s not hard to see why the tree has such longevity in Greece, our 2026 Campus of the Year. It has a wide range of uses, from producing the olive fruit and oil to its wood, which can burn even when wet.
Olive oil also had varied applications throughout history — ancient Greeks would use it in cooking, to make perfume, in religious practices and for lamp fuel. Today, it’s largely used for culinary purposes. If you’d like a taste of Greek culture, you can likely find it on your local grocery shelves!
But not all olive oils are equal — in our latest video blog, hear from Dimitra Mathiopoulou, a Greek olive oil sommelier, about how to select the best kind. She recommends strategies like looking for dark glass containers and checking the harvest date to find the freshest bottle. Dimitra is a local expert on our learning adventures in Greece, and she also shares the process behind pressing the oil and its modern production with Road Scholars.
Check out her other recommendations and gain insight into the Road Scholar learning experience in Greece!
